So long, Santa

 Well, Christmas came and went in the blink of an eye, as it seems to do every year. We are in that strange time in between Xmas and New Year, where we don't feel like doing much other than snuggling up on the sofa with a cup of tea, good book or film to watch. I have been reading Eat Pray Love (have not seen the film but heard it isn't great, although the book was a good read) and Pride and Prejudice, which is especially enjoyable since I watched the BBC tv series again only recently. We have recorded a few things on Sky Plus but haven't been bothered to see too much, although we watched the new Upstairs Downstairs series which was fantastic - even the kids stopped playing and joined us on the sofa to watch it. My husband got a Kindle for Xmas so he has been reading a lot too. In fact, the only time I have been out of the house has been to do the food shopping (luckily extremely quiet at the supermarket) and to do a bit of sales shopping. 

 I got this 1950s style diary from M&S - a bargain at £2. It is packed full of useful info in the front, including detailed first aid advice, useful telephone numbers and the usual conversion charts. Very handy. I have always automatically bought a calendar for the kitchen but I thought I would try a diary this year - I am hoping it will prevent lots of paperwork from floating around the house. Doubtful!

 I also got some black suede boots which I was very pleased about as I don't often manage to find shoes/boots that fit me well. I have quite narrow feet and I hate uncomfortable shoes so shoe shopping proves quite difficult and I avoid it at all costs. Not entirely sure the kids were too pleased to be with me in the packed shoe shop.

And what I got for Xmas this year was...

... something I have wanted for a long time and which I hope will see a lot of use over the coming year. My first job will be to dig out a coat I started making a very long time ago - I am embarrassed to say how long ago it was, but I need a new winter coat so it must be finished. I have been buying old dressmaking patterns from the 1950s onwards at charity shops so I am sure I will be making a few items from these too. I am really looking forward to making my own clothes over the coming months and I hope I will get to wear them too - this is all dependent on how well they turn out though.

My other big project for 2011 is the garden, something I mentioned in my previous post. I have already got a gardening book from the library for inspiration. I need all the help I can get, but have at least decided on the style of garden that I prefer and that my non green fingers prefer - a woodland garden. It also fits in nicely with what we currently have - a bit of grass surrounded by tall trees and mixed hedgerow. I have no idea how it's going to turn out but I will have a go and learn from my mistakes. First of all, I will need to prepare a tortoise enclosure for my 3 tortoises, which will be right next to the decking so we can keep an eye on them from inside. All we need now is some dry mild weather. Not likely!